It has been a long standing problem for debilitated or geriatric patients in hospitals or at home to put on or take off anti-embolism support stockings. The average healthy person would find it difficult to manipulate these strongly elastic stockings but it is more so for those with hip or knee joint ailments to bend over and apply them without assistance.
There have been numerous attempts to provide mechanical stocking pullers such as U.S. Pat. No. 2,903,170 with reciprocatable clamp members and U.S. Pat. No. 3,727,812 with pivotable arm members. These devices are generally bulky, require much manipulation and are relatively expensive to manufacture.
Accordingly, it is the primary object of this invention to provide a stocking applying or removing device of a simplified, relatively light weight construction yet sufficiently sturdy for the requisite pulling or pushing actions.
Another object of this invention is to provide a stocking applying or removing device which is adjustable for different circumferences in the top of the stocking.
A further object of this invention is to provide a stocking applying or removing device which is durable and yet relatively economical to manufacture.